A Restored Man (35 page)

"Ty, talk to me," he said, remembering the desperation he heard in Ty's voice.

"Where the hell did you learn how to drive like that?" Ty responded in a raspy voice.

Cole smiled smugly. "My older brother. Just don't ever tell my mom," he finished with a chuckle. When he drove up to the line of cars, Ty was walking out of the tower. He took off his helmet and exited the car moments before Ty ran to him and grabbed him tightly in an embrace.

"You scared the crap out of me," Ty said, his voice still shaky.

Cole took a step back and cupped Ty's face. "I might not know how to control my mouth, but I know how to handle a car." He searched Ty's expression and saw the worry slowly fading. "When I'm driving, it's as if the car's an extension of me. I don't know how else to explain it."

Ty took a deep breath and reached up to anchor his hands on Cole's arms. "It's just…you lost control…I—"

Cole leaned in for a gentle kiss. "I'm okay. If that happens again with one of the other cars, don't freak out. I know it might be tough to watch but it
does
help to hear your voice. Just not your voice in a panic, yelling at me in my ear."

Ty was shaking. Cole pulled him closer and placed a few soft, open-mouthed kisses along his neck, needing to calm him. "Do you want me to stop driving today?"

Ty shook his head. "After seeing that, I know you can drive. It just freaked me out a bit. I couldn't help but think of the day of the accident. I'm sorry. I know it's not the same thing—"

Cole quieted Ty with another kiss. "Don't apologize. I understand. If you want me to stop, I will."

"I said I didn't want to torture you. I wouldn't ask you to stop," Ty said, smiling weakly. "You've got one more speed test to do then we can slow it down for a bit on the other track. Now go and have fun." He gave Cole a quick peck and retreated to the tower again.

"Hey, for the record," Cole said loud enough to stop Ty.

Ty turned and waited.

"The car lost control, I didn't." Cole blew a teasing kiss to Ty and laughed.

Ty shook his head and smiled before retreating to the tower.

Cole stood there for a few seconds, watching Ty walk away. Submitting so easily was something he knew did not come easily to Ty. He turned and walked over to the last car and put on his helmet. "You still with me My-Ty?"

Ty barked laughed. "I sound like a drink."

Cole smiled at Ty's more at-ease tone. "'Cause I want to drink you up. Mmm." He bit his lip, knowing exactly what he was doing to Ty on the other end of the radio.

"You'll pay for that later," Ty said, in a hoarse voice.

"I'm counting on it," Cole said, turning the key and starting up the engine with a roar. As much as he loved revving up the cars, he loved revving up Ty even more.

He couldn't wait until later on tonight to show Ty just how much he actually wanted to drink him up.

Each new day of the workweek dragged at a painfully slow pace. Cole's crew worked their asses off, fluidly as a team and incredibly focused on individual tasks. Ty could finally see some major progress completing the list of repairs. He was incredibly thankful Cole's crew helped with the tickets, but his first weekend with Cole left him craving more alone time with him. Not only had he finally—
finally
—been alone with Cole without interruptions, he discovered additional layers of Cole's personality that left him wanting more.

His mind wandered back to their trip to the track. He lowered his head and took a few deep breaths, then closed his eyes and tried to settle his heartbeat as he remembered the car spinning out of control. Before the panic had overtaken him, Cole had righted the car and was ready for that last turn. At that moment when he saw Cole walk out of the car, he knew without a second of hesitation that he had completely, totally fallen in love with Cole. The thought of losing him had been unbearable.

The knock at the door snapped him out of the memory. "Come in," he said, straightening in his seat.

Jeff entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"What's up?" Ty asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

Jeff pulled out the chair across from Ty's desk. "How's it going with Cole's pit crew?"

Ty smiled. "Great. I can't believe how far along we are. If everything follows Cole's plan, we should be wrapping everything up in less than four weeks."

Jeff crossed his leg and leaned back in the chair. "I'm glad to see he got you to crack and finally let someone help you."

Ty stacked the files on the corner of his desk. "He's rather persistent."
And hot, and sexy, and funny…

"Uh huh."

Ty looked up and rested his elbows on his desk. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Looks fade. Well, not in my case—"

Ty grinned. "I see he's rubbed off on you."

"He's got you smiling too. I missed seeing that around here. He was a good addition to the shop," Jeff said. He looked away and ran his shoelace through his fingers.

Ty felt a warmth comfort him he had only experienced when his father was with him. "Why didn't you ever settle down? You would have made a great father."

Jeff looked back at Ty, his expression softer than it had been only moments before. "I never found the right lady to settle down with. Besides, the Calloways have always been my family. Your dad was like a brother to me and you…" He rose from his seat and slowly paced the room. "You're like a son to me."

"I know," Ty said.

The older man took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before turning to look at Ty again. "You're as stubborn as your father. Next time, accept my offer for help," he said, in a reprimanding yet gentle tone.

Ty chuckled. "Yes, sir." He rose from his seat and walked over to Jeff, wrapping his arms around the older man. "I know it's been tough for a while here. Thanks for hanging in there," he said, patting him on the back before taking a step back.

Jeff walked over to the credenza at the side of the office and picked up a photo of Ty with Aidan and their father. He smiled and chuckled to himself as if remembering a thought before returning the photo to its spot. He took a few steps as if pacing the room. "Cole…that boy might seem crazy, but he's not."

"No, he's not," Ty said, watching the range of emotions play across the older man's face.

Jeff turned to look at Ty with a deathly serious expression. "Look inside that kid. Don't focus on what's on the outside or how kooky he might seem. That boy is special."

Ty nodded. "That he is." In more ways than he was ready to confide.

Jeff looked away as if gathering his thoughts. "He might claim to know it, but deep down, I don't think he really believes it."

Ty cocked his head, not really sure what direction the conversation was headed.

The older man paced the room a few steps then headed toward the door. "Make sure he knows how special he is. I think he needs to hear that." He grabbed the doorknob and hesitated. "Especially from you." He looked at Ty again. "I missed seeing you smiling and happy. I'm glad to have you back."

Ty watched the older man exit his office. He returned to his desk to wrap up the list of parts needed for the next week before his
temporary-boss-with-the-striking-mismatched-eyes
realized he was straying from the strict schedule. He couldn't hide the grin that lingered while he thought of Cole and their upcoming weekend.

Cole was special. He knew that the first night they had met.

Another knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," he said while printing out the last of the parts list for Stacie to order.

"My-Ty, you can't escape me by hiding in your office," Cole said, closing the door behind him.

Ty loved that silly nickname, far better than the ridiculously long pet name Cole kept adding words to. He had somehow become
Mr. Sexy Twisted Spider Monkey Metal Man Candy Bar eating Torture Teaser
…plus a whole other string of words Ty couldn't remember. How the hell Cole could recall the string of words was beyond him. But "My-Ty" seemed to hit all the right buttons. Maybe it was the possessiveness of the name or simply the way Cole drawlingly said the words. Ty didn't know. He was a certified pile of mush whenever Cole said it.

"I wasn't escaping," Ty said, looking up from the computer screen. "I was getting the parts list together for next week's tickets for your crew."

Cole nodded and walked over to Ty's desk, casually sitting at the corner. He suddenly quieted and pursed his lips as he picked at a string on his pants.

Ty watched him and couldn't stand the silence. "You know you make me nervous when you're
that
quiet."

Cole glanced up, his expression guarded. "Are we…um…doing the weekend thing again?"

Ty scowled. "You don't want to? I thought—"

"You didn't sign the form I left on your desk. Matt can't approve the pass unless he has it," Cole said, looking away, tugging at his beanie.

Ty rose from his seat and stood between Cole's legs. "Of course I want to spend the weekend with you. It's all I've been thinking about."

Cole reached out and gripped Ty's waist with a hint of a smile in his expression.

"I didn't realize you left a form on my desk. I would have signed that thing the second I saw it."

"So you've got the list of parts ready for Stacie?' Cole asked, tugging Ty closer.

"Yeah, I just printed it out. Now I need to find that form so you can take it back with you today. I'm not missing our weekend."

"I saw Jeff walk out of here and he gave me a weird look. I didn't piss him off or anything, did I? I think he misses me," Cole said with a muffled chuckle. "I left it on your desk because Stacie doesn't know about me so I couldn't give it to her to make sure you signed it. I have another form in my locker if you can't find it."

Ty reached out and rubbed his thumb along Cole's cheek. "You've got a lot of conversations going on at the same time in that head of yours." He knew Cole did this when he was unsure about something.

Cole shrugged. Something else he seemed to do when he didn't have control over the situation. Ty wanted to meet every son of a bitch Cole had encountered in his life who helped plant that seed of hesitation in him. Cole had a fire that burned bright when he was confident and in control.

"Keeping all that stuff straight in your head is a mark of brilliance," Ty teased.

Cole chuckled and patted Ty's ass. "If that makes me look hotter to you, then okay, I'm fucking brilliant."

Ty leaned in and brushed his lips against Cole's.

"I didn't lock the door," Cole said with a groan, digging his fingers into Ty's waist.

"I don't care. You're mine, and if someone walks in, they can enjoy the show."

Ty pushed his mouth against Cole's, needing to taste those full lips he craved. He wrapped an arm around Cole's waist and pulled him closer while he reached out with his other hand to guide Cole into the kiss. He groaned when Cole's body brushed against his, reminding him of the heat between their sweat-slicked bodies during their lovemaking. Cole licked Ty's lips then ran the tip of his tongue teasingly alongside his, luring him in with a promise for more. Ty's pulse escalated and his heartbeat echoed in his ears as strong legs wrapped around him, pulling him flush against Cole's warm, hard body.

Cole pulled away from the kiss, gasping for air. "We shouldn't start something we can't finish. I'm going to add Ballsy to your pet name," he said with a shaky, raspy voice, tightening his grip on Ty's waist.

Ty bit his lower lip. "It's becoming a really long pet name." He peppered kisses along Cole's neck and jaw.

"You keep surprising me." Cole stretched his neck, silently begging Ty to continue. "I like that."

"The surprising part or the kisses?" Ty asked, dipping his head at the crook of Cole's neck to plant an open-mouth kiss. "I like My-Ty better."

"Anything you fucking want, just don't stop doing that," Cole said, moaning as his hands twisted in the material at Ty's waist.

Ty's heart pounded furiously. He gripped the back of Cole's head and cursed the damn knit material in his way as he pulled Cole to him for a kiss. Cole ran a hand down to Ty's ass, pulling him closer, and the other up his back to grip his hair tightly. Ty moaned under the assault and melted into Cole's hold, savoring the need he felt with each lick and suck.

Ty's radio chirped and an animalistic sound emerged from Cole. "I swear, on everything that is sacred and holy in this world, I am going to take that radio and that little woman and—"

Ty quieted him with a kiss. "She's doing her job and she's doing it well. We're the ones violating one of your Three F Rules right now."

Cole scowled. "I hate it when I'm horny and you have a valid point to make me stop." He slid off the edge of the desk and winced as he adjusted himself before walking toward the door.

"Don't leave today without the signed form," Ty said.

Cole looked over his shoulder, the scowl gradually replaced with a smile. "Okay, My-Ty," he said before leaving the office.

Ty responded to Stacie's radio call then madly sifted through the papers on his desk in search of Cole's form.